California IN BRIEF : OAKLAND : Quake’s Financial Impact Still Felt

Economic aftershocks of the collapse of the Cypress freeway in the Oct. 17, 1989, Loma Prieta earthquake are still being felt, according to a report to be issued Monday by transportation and economic experts. The report calculates the closure of the 1 1/2-mile freeway, which linked downtown Oakland with the San Francisco Bay Bridge, has cost $22.5 million to date in added travel times for motorists, higher vehicle operating costs and delays in shipments of products. “The devastation caused by the Loma Prieta earthquake has taught us some hard lessons--one of them being that investment in transportation infrastructure is a critical element in any strategy to sustain economic growth in the region,” said Mike McGill, executive director of the Bay Area Forum, which will issue the report along with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.